Study Finds New Jersey Residents Mainly Pull For Yankees, Followed By Phillies, Mets

New Jersey residents "mainly root" for the Yankees, while the Mets ranked third in popularity after the Phillies, according to a Quinnipiac Univ. poll cited by Kate King of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. The poll, released last week, found that 39% of baseball fans in New Jersey "claimed the Yankees as their preferred team." However, the poll also found that the Yankees' popularity has "slipped since the last time Quinnipiac surveyed New Jersey fans" in '12 (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/18). The Phillies are the hometown favorites for 21% of New Jersey fans, including 73% of fans living in the South Jersey Philadelphia suburbs. Another 20% of New Jersey fans cheer for the Mets, with 4% backing the Red Sox and 2% pulling for the Pirates. A total of 48% of all New Jersey adults said that they are "very interested" or "somewhat interested" in MLB (Quinnipiac).